Shinara Grill and Lounge – BBQ Buffet

Sunday, 8 Mar 09

We were lured back to Shinara Grill and Lounge that very day, by the tempting offer of a $26.50 Korean BBQ Buffet. There is something so primal, so bonding, so *something* about cooking your own meat over a hot grill with good company (so this is what men see in bbq?). So past the sleek lounge (with the awesome cube lights) and into the upper levels of the restaurant we returned, to be greeted by the aromas of freshly grilled meats and smiling servers pushing trolleys, so reminiscent of yum cha.

Instead of offering a range of assorted dishes though, orders are taken from the buffet menu, and each silver trolley bears the soon-to-be-barbequed foods to the table. A choice is offered between the standard Korean BBQ buffet for $26.50, and a premium buffet, which had additional Japanese-style goodies like wagyu beef, sashimi and tempura for $36.50. We decided to leave the wagyu for another day when we could fully appreciate the entirety of the premium menu (read: skip lunch so as to eat ridiculous amounts), and just had the standard buffet, pictured above.

Shallot salad

This was suitably spicy and intense with sesame oil, garlic and shallot flavours. We were a little disappointed that we could not order the beansprout salad that was available at lunch time, partially because it was difficult to convey what we wanted, and partially because it has always been one of my favourite banchan dishes. It has often amused me that I can be mistaken for almost any eastern Asian background, except for the actual one, and this was the case today, since I don’t speak a word of Korean, to the disappointment of some of the servers. Now in future, I know what it is called ;)

Gyoza

Tim was almost completely content to order many plates of these gyoza to take advantage of the buffet. Crisp on the outside and soaking in a light sauce, I thought the sauce was possibly not quite salty enough, but it made for good snacking while we waited for the meat to cook.

Bulgogi

If this looks familiar, it is because, yes, we had some at lunchtime. Oh well, still very good ^^

Meat cooking

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Of course, the main attraction of grills like this is the meat! Here we had some lovely spare rib (only 1 plate per customer *sadface*) which had the most deliciously sweet savoury marinade, some beef  cube loin, tender and grilled medium (just how I like it) and some mushrooms as Tim’s oh-so-generous concession to my own omnivorous tendencies.

Grilled beef cubed loin – still juicy and tender!

Prawns, pork shoulder, onion rings

Prawns are also limited to one plate per person, but were smoky, if difficult to peel, straight from the grill. The pork shoulder was probably left to become a little too crispy, for all the streaky fat had disappeared when we came to it. We also forgot to photograph the scallops, which were a sweet, juicy and succulent end to the meal.

Udon

Although it seems to be a foodie (or just simply Asian?) crime to load up on carbs or salad at a buffet, we thought for balance’s sake, we should order some sort of noodle dish. We’re glad we did though, the udon was slightly chewy, in a good way, and the soup loaded with dashi unami goodness. The soba was also a great way to balance the meal, having a cooling effect to counter the heat of meat and shallot dish,

Soba Noodles

Full, content and satisfied we had done our best to make good value of the price, we ambled home, clothes permated with the smoky goodness of well-grilled meat and the atmosphere of a pleasant night out. Of course, we’d recommend you don’t attempt to play squash immediately afterwards, probably not the best of ideas ^^;;. Otherwise, this a great place for a night out with friends for bonding over the heat and sizzling meat, for a reasonable price, and definitely some place we’ll be returning to, if only for the wagyu and to try the rest of the menu!

10 Comments

1. Ooh the smoky sweet delights of Korean bbq. And I’m not surprised you forgot the pic of the scallops – I always find photographing Korean bbq is non-stop stress with the constant flurry of dishes :)

   Comment by Helen — March 8, 2009 @ 9:49 pm

2. yummy yummy meat! *drools*

   Comment by K — March 8, 2009 @ 10:00 pm

3. Lunch and dinner at the same place? It must have been good!

   Comment by Arwen from Hoglet K — March 9, 2009 @ 11:13 am

4. All you can eat Korean BBQ buffet? Sounds dangerous! :D Yes, it’s definitely an Asian crime to load up on carbs when at a buffet! My mom would’ve been tut-tutting.

   Comment by Y — March 9, 2009 @ 3:20 pm

5. Although I got through days of eating vegetarian food, the allure of delicious meat always lures me back. And Korean BBQ is the best for carnivorous delights!

   Comment by Lorraine @NotQuiteNigella — March 9, 2009 @ 4:39 pm

6. Bufffett YAAAAYYYY ^^! Must try thhxxxx and eat our own weight in mmmeatttt mmmmm

   Comment by FFichiban — March 9, 2009 @ 9:20 pm

7. heeeey OMG you are right in front of me heheehheheeeeheheheheeee im sooo hunry! =[

   Comment by K — March 11, 2009 @ 2:46 pm

8. Isn’t it fab there? I’ve been there twice already LOL.

   Comment by aptronym — March 13, 2009 @ 5:46 pm

9. hi chris
   thanks for visiting, not attending taste fest as the location is far away.. are you going?
   btw lovely blog *bookmarks* =]

   Comment by Julie — March 14, 2009 @ 9:07 pm

10. I can’t say that I like cooking for myself — main reason why I don’t like hot pot. It drags out the entire eating process, and doesn’t quite allure me with its prettiness :P

    Comment by Jen — March 15, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

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